Jeweled Lacerta

[Jhussey]

So I've been looking at getting a Savannah Monitor, but I was reading my new rep mag and I saw this guy in there. Wow are they beautiful! But other than what I've read in the mag I know nothing about them and there seems to be little info on the web about them. Does anyone have any experiance with these lovely reptiles?

Thanks!

[Mettle]

Contact Zoe. She just recently got one after months of research and lots of prep. I let her know about this thread so hopefully she'll pop in and fill in the blanks for ya.

However, I will say this... A sav and a jeweled lacerta are WORLDS apart in terms of care and the type of reptiles they are. Especially when it comes to size and enclosure requirements. Diets will be different too. And the level of handleability will vary significantly.

I'll leave the rest to Zoe though and any others who have direct experience.

[Zoe]

So I've been looking at getting a Savannah Monitor, but I was reading my new rep mag and I saw this guy in there. Wow are they beautiful! But other than what I've read in the mag I know nothing about them and there seems to be little info on the web about them. Does anyone have any experiance with these lovely reptiles?

You have good taste

There isn't too much info out there, but there is some. I did a lot of research and they really aren't hard to care for:

Vivarium:
4 x 2 x 2 would be minimum for one adult. You could maybe get away with 3 x 2 x 2 for a female. Front opening doors are ideal because they can be nervous and you don't want it thinking you're a bird, but a tank with a reptile lid will do.

Substrate:
They are burrowers so you want at least 6 inches of substrate. A mix of sand, soil and coco mulch is good. It should be damp enough to hold a cave or small tunnel.

Light:
They need UV light; I use a 100W Mega Ray Mercury Vapor bulb, as well as a 75W plain halogen from Walmart as another light/heat source.

They are from Europe so they don't need it hot. 90-92F is fine for basking area, with a range of 75-88 during the day. I don't provide any heat at night so unless your house is very cold, nothing else is necessary. They need to thermoregulate though so make sure you have a good temperature variant.

Food:
They eat pretty much anything. Crickets, roaches, super worms, darkling beetles, silkworms, horn worms, grasshoppers, snails, earthworms; a combination of a few of those can make up their staple diet, with the occasional waxworm, butter worm, or small piece of boiled chicken as a treat. They will also eat mushy, ripe sweet fruit. I have some in the cage at all times because it feeds any stray crickets. I breed my own super worms and red wigglers for mine, and pick up crickets / silkworms occasionally.

Dust most days with regular calcium, and dust occasionally with Cal w/ D3 and vitamin/mineral powder.

You can plant the tank if you want, they won't eat the leaves, but they might dig up the plants.

They don't soak or swim very much so a regular sized water dish is fine. Mist enough to keep the substrate humid - a few times a week.

Don't get a pair if you can't keep them separate when they are not breeding. I've never experienced this first hand, but I've heard that they can be vicious to each other when feeding.

Some Lacertas can be really nervous, and they are generally not considered to be "easy-to-handle" lizards, but once they settle in they are really good motivated and you can use that to your advantage.

If you want to do further research, try looking up "lacerta lepida" or "lacerta timon". You get some different results that way.

Good luck, hope you get one! If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Zoe

[Jhussey]

Awesome thanks Zoe! That is really really helpful! Seems like I've got everything I need for an adult already, and I didn't even know it hehe. I'm having trouble finding one for purchase though, any recommendations? They weren't even at last months expo in Indy. A couple of people I talked to there had heard of them, but couldn't tell me where I could find one or much of anything about them, but you are a wealth of knowledge thanks again!!

[Zoe]

I'm actually putting together a lacerta caresheet now. I'll send it to you when it's done, tomorrow hopefully.

They are illegal to export so pretty much everything you will find is CB, but the downside of that is that they aren't that easy to find. They are out there, but you'll have to make inquiries to find one. Try pet stores, suppliers, etc. I can't help you as I'm in Canada.

Cheers,

Zoe

[Zoe]

Hi,

I finished the care sheet, I posted it to Reptiles Canada in the care sheet section (http://www.reptilescanada.com/forums...ad.php?t=44333).

About the Jeweled Lacerta

Also known as the Ocellated Lizard, the Jeweled Lacerta is the largest Lacerta with males reaching up to two feet in length (with tail). They are bright green with intricate patterns on their backs (often in rosettes) and blue spots on their sides that reflect UV spectrum light. The males are larger than the females and have, in comparison, enormous heads. Jeweled Lacertas are fairly slim and light, with long tails and long toes and claws. They are common in the wild in Spain, Portugal and France, but are bred by few in captivity in North America.
Their natural habitat is open woodlands and rocky, shrubby meadows.

Purchasing a Jeweled Lacerta

Because they are protected from export, the few Jeweled Lacertas you will find in captivity and for sale are almost invariably captive bred. Look for clear, bright open eyes, a full belly and long, healthy toes, clear nostrils and a clean, pink mouth. Jeweled Lacertas can be encouraged to open their mouths by simply placing a finger, vertically, on the side of the lizard's face. Many will have lost tail tips so look here as well, but note that if some of the tail has been lost but is nicely healed, there is no future risk to the lizard as long as future sheds are monitored.
As hatchlings, males and females may not be easy to tell apart, but as they get a bit older the difference is obvious. Males have larger heads and have more robust colours and pattern. Females tend to have a paler green and a more muted, but still obvious, pattern. Both sexes are lovely.

Size and housing

Male Jeweled Lacertas will reach 24", with a few exceeding that by a few inches. Females will be 16-20". One male will require a minimum of a 4' x 2' x 2' cage; females, a minimum of 3' x 2' x 18'. Front opening cages are ideal as approaching the lizard from above can cause it to think you are a predator, but a tank with a screen lid do. Juveniles can be housed in smaller caging; a general rule of thumb is that the cage should be at least as deep as the lizard and twice as wide as the lizard (tail included).
Males and females should be housed together for breeding purposes only. These lizards can be extremely food-aggressive and rough during mating, and it is best to keep them alone for most the year. Juveniles should also be kept separate as the first of a group of juveniles to become a dominant male may kill the others. If you insist on keeping multiple animals together, larger than recommended caging is required.

Substrate

Jeweled Lacertas are burrowers and require a good six inches of substrate. A mix of potting soil and/or coco mulch and/or play sand is fine. Keep the substrate moist enough for it to hold a small den or burrow.

Heating and lighting, and humidity

Jeweled Lacertas are from a temperate region of Europe and do not require extreme temperatures. One half of the cage should be the “warm” side and the other half the “cool” side, with temperatures ranging between 85 and 75 F between both sides. A basking area of 90-95 F is sufficient, and I recommend placing basking surfaces of various heights under the basking area to allow your lizard to thermoregulate.
As diurnal lizards, Jeweled Lacertas need UVB light, and I recommend an “all-in-one” Mercury Vapour Bulb that provides light, heat, and UV over the warm side of the cage. I use the Mega Ray brand and find that it is worth the cost (the 100W bulb is $55 to $65 and should last 12 to 18 months with careful handling). Over the cool side, a low wattage incandescent or halogen bulb is sufficient for minor heat and light (I use a 75W halogen, myself). No heat source is needed at night unless your home is particular cold all year during the night (under 70 F).
The photoperiod should fluctuate somewhat with the time of year, especially if you intend to hibernate (and breed) your lizard.
Moderate humidity is required; keep the substrate moist, spray a few times a week, and provide a hide box with damp moss or dirt.

Cage decor

Jeweled Lacertas do climb but they are not particularly arboreal so provide them with large branches, pieces of cork bark, driftwood, or rocks.
If you do use rocks in the cage, make sure the rock is either very light (e.g., slate), or that it is resting on the bottom surface of the cage and not just in the surface of the substrate, because if the Lacerta burrows under the rock, it could be crushed. Partially buried cinder blocks actually make great hides because they have built-in caves.
I use a large rectangular Tupperware type container as a moist hide box. I made a hole in the lid large enough for the lizard to get through and put some damp moss in the hide box, and buried it in the substrate with the hole in the lid exposed. I recommend this type of moist hide; my Lacerta uses it every day and it is very handy during shedding.

Feeding

Probably the most fun part of having a Jeweled Lacerta is feeding it! Once they get over their initial shyness, Jeweled Lacertas are typically very food motivated. They are omnivorous and eat mostly invertebrates: garden snails, dubia roaches (if legal in your area), superworms, darkling beetles and red wigglers are all great, and can easily be bred in an apartment with minimal work and smell. Crickets, silkworms and hornworms are easily obtained and nutritious. Butterworms, waxworms and small pieces of boiled chicken make good, occasional treats, and other insects such as grass hoppers, grubs, and beetles can be collected outdoors as long as you can do so legally and in an area that you know is not treated with any pesticides.
Jeweled Lacertas also eat small amounts of sweet fruit; ripe and mashed with a fork. Strawberry, apple, banana, mango and peaches have all been well received by my Lacerta.
Dust all food with calcium supplement most days; occasionally, use a vitamin or Calcium with D3 supplement instead.

Handling and temperament

Jeweled Lacertas can be pretty skittish and shy, especially while they settle in (a process which can take several months), and are not really recommended if you are looking for a handling lizard. However, they can and do settle down and many can be gently and briefly handled. They are food motivated, and this can be used to your advantage. If you do attempt to handle your Lacerta, don’t grab or restrain it; rather, put your hand under its body and lift gently.
If you need to restrain a Jeweled Lacerta, drop a dishtowel on it and seize it confidently but carefully. They can drop their tails and they put up an awful fuss but they are hardy and recover quickly from handling related stress. Covering their faces or dimming the lights can help calm them.

Hibernation and breeding

Jeweled Lacertas can be hibernated and may do so on their own when the temperature drops in the winter. During this time they will continue to bask but they will eat and move a lot less. Hibernation is required for breeding but otherwise it is optional. You can keep the temperatures the same as in the summer to avoid it.
Hibernation should be initiated by gradually dropping the temperatures in the beginning of the winter to 40-50 F, and lasts 2 to 3 months. Sexual maturity is reached in 2 to 3 years. Mating generally occurs one week to a month after the hibernation is over, and can be violent. I have heard of males injuring and killing females during mating, so ensure that both animals are 100% healthy before attempting to breed them. About a week before laying up to 20 eggs (8-12 is average), the female will be restless and will dig often, and may stop eating. Be sure to provide a laying box where she will (hopefully) lay her eggs. The adults may eat the eggs so keep an eye on them and remove any eggs as soon as possible. Up to three clutches may be laid in a season.
The eggs should be incubated on appropriate incubating medium such as Vermiculite (damped with water, 1:1 ratio by weight) at 82-86 F and will hatch in 90-120 days. The new babies are about 2.5 inches long and eat the same thing as the adults, just smaller items.

Pictures of my lizard can be found here: http://zoestevens.smugmug.com/Lizards/Maru

And of his cage: http://zoestevens.smugmug.com/Cages-...ums/Habitation

Good luck

[LacertaMan]

i was snoopin around the interwebs and came across this page. i can see its a little old but im going to comment either way. Zoe here says Lacertas need to be hibernated to breed and they should be housed only when they are breeding. Also Zoe says they can be quite aggressive to each other when they feed. I suppose these must be assumptions as i read Zoe has a Lacerta, not a pair of Lacertas. Also i looked at her pictures and she seems to have them in like a tropical wet setting. lacertas are from dry rocky sandy loamy areas...... I have had a breeding pair housed together for almost 3 years now. No hibernation (they are in my living room). I keep em at about 90 degrees, water the substrate about twice a week. I use a mixture of sand and peat moss and lots of flagstone. And the substrate is perhaps 4 inches at its deepest. The female just puts her eggs under a warm rock. And i have found that if i keep food available (cockroaches in a bowl) i can just leave the eggs in there and let em hatch. i have had three sets of babies hatch this way. got 7, 11, 9 out of the respective hatches. As for the aggression of the pair, the female runs the cage. And the male knows it, if she wants something he drops it and goes for something else. No problems. nuggetsbengals@yahoo.com if any questions.

[Zoe]

Hi LacertaMan!

Thanks for your input! To clarify a few points that you seem to be confused about:

Zoe here says Lacertas need to be hibernated to breed and they should be housed only when they are breeding.

There is almost certainly a temperature fluctuation in your home between summer and winter, causing your animals to be aware of the season and respond appropriately (i.e., mate). As with living things, rules are never written in stone, and if your lacertas are mating without hibernation, that's great!

Also Zoe says they can be quite aggressive to each other when they feed.

Feeding aggression isn't an assumption: it is indeed a fact that they can be aggressive with other while they feed. This doesn't mean that pairs or colonies can't live together in harmony; rather, it's something a prospective owner should be aware of before "taking the plunge".

The breeder that produced my male has had females killed during breeding, also, and he has experience with more than a single pair. My rule of thumb is never to house reptiles together if not breeding as the risks involved far outweigh our own anthropomorphic desire to see our pets with "friends".

Also i looked at her pictures and she seems to have them in like a tropical wet setting. lacertas are from dry rocky sandy loamy areas

Are you sure you are looking at the right picture? The link I posted goes to an entire gallery and the lacerta pics are on the second page. The substrate mix I recommend is coco mulch (instead of peat moss, as peat is not a renewable resource), sand, a bit of chopped sphag or repti bark, and a bit of bio active soil, kept damp enough so it isn't dusty.

Anyway, I'm glad your lacerta project is going well, and thanks for posting your experiences!